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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pop — music
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mug — a face
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. branch — a division
  9. pop — soda
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stem — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com